Plane tickets were booked. Hotel reservations were made. The curse had been lifted.
The Detroit Lions — and their elite fanbase — were going to the Super Bowl.
Until they weren’t.
Detroit held a 17-point lead at halftime against the No. 1 seed San Francisco 49ers, and a trip to Super Bowl LVIII seemed like a near-guarantee. The Lions continually gashed the ‘Niners on the ground in the first half, and it didn’t seem like there was anything the opposition could do to stop it.
David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs and Jameson Williams all rushed for a touchdown in the first half, and all three players had rushed for more yards than likely MVP runner-up Christian McCaffrey by halftime.
All the defense had to do in the second half was hold serve, and Detroit would be on its way to its first Super Bowl in franchise history.
But the serve was not held.
In fact, it was like the Lions were broken at love (Please excuse the tennis reference — I just finished watching two weeks’ worth of the Australian Open).
San Francisco kicker Jake Moody connected on a 43-yard field goal to start the second-half rout.
Josh Reynolds then dropped a fourth-down-and-two pass from Jared Goff, and things quickly unraveled afterward.
A 51-yard miracle completion from Brock Purdy to Brandon Aiyuk set up another 49ers touchdown. Gibbs then fumbled on Detroit’s first play of the ensuing possession, and McCaffrey scored four plays later to tie the game at 24.
The 14-point lead evaporated in the blink of an eye, and momentum was seemingly more one-sided than it had been for any team at any point throughout the season.
Detroit had a few more opportunities of its own during the remainder of the game, but San Francisco flexed its muscles late to put the Lions away.
Suddenly, just two hours after making travel plans to attend the Super Bowl — which I sincerely hope no one actually did, that would have been stupid — ambitious Lions fans were forced to hold back tears as they looked for refunds and reimbursements.
Although the 2023 season was arguably the best season in modern franchise history and one that will be remembered forever, it’s hard not to look at Sunday’s loss as a ghost of the past that came back to haunt the Lions yet again.
It’s one of sports’ greatest phenomena.
From a macro perspective, the Lions had a fantastic season. They finished the year 14-6, won the NFC North for the first time ever and won not one but two playoff games.
In just the third year of the Dan Campbell era, the franchise clearly has a quarterback, a young core to build around and a hopeful future.
But from a micro perspective, blowing a 17-point halftime lead on the road in the NFC Championship game is about as tough to swallow as dry toast or potato chips are for a person with strep throat.
The game was simply right there for the taking.
If only Josh Reynolds caught that pass.
Or if only Josh Reynolds caught that other pass.
Or if only Kindle Vildor caught the should’ve-been interception that bounced off his helmet.
Or if only Gibbs hadn’t fumbled when the 49ers already had all the momentum.
Or if only Campbell elected to kick a field goal rather than going for it late in the fourth quarter.
Or if only the Lions didn’t stupidly and inexplicably burn a timeout on their last drive of the game.
In the end, there were too many if-onlys and not enough points on the board for the Lions.
Sure, it was a great season — Detroit was essentially playing with house money there at the end, and many, if not all, fans had already deemed the season a success — but what Campbell told his team in the locker room after the game is exactly right.
It’s only going to be harder in the coming years. Jordan Love and the Packers are surging — the Vikings are likely to draft a rookie quarterback in the NFL Draft, the Cowboys will once again be extremely talented, and Jalen Hurts and the Eagles will likely bounce back after self-imploding late in the season.
That’s four NFC teams that will be hunting you next season, and that doesn’t even mention the three teams you faced — and battled with down to the wire — in the playoffs.
These playoff games can go either way. These teams make the playoffs for a reason.
Making the conference championship is tough, no matter what anyone says. Sure, over the last few years, the 49ers and Chiefs have made a habit of playing for the right to go to the Super Bowl, but those teams are perennial contenders.
Are the Lions on that level? No.
Not yet, at least.